NEW GUINEA AND THE TAPUANS 435 



dirty, and, unlike most Papuans, unskilled in carving and 

 the making of pottery ; but fair agriculturists, holding 

 markets at the German stations, to which the people of 

 the interior come. They have a fixed monetary system, 

 the currency consisting of strings of cowries {dcivarra), 

 plates of shell ground thin, and tobacco. The principal 

 weapons are slings, which are used with great accuracy 

 and force, and spears. The natives are exceedingly 

 clever fishermen, constructing basket and other traps of 

 considerable ingenuity. 



In addition to the volcanoes already mentioned and two 

 other active craters to the south of Open Bay — the Father 

 (4000 feet) and South Son (3000 feet) — the greater 

 number of the outlying islands on the north side of New 

 Britain, such as Gicquel, Eaoul, Du Faure, Willaumez, 

 and others, are believed to be volcanic, and Duportail is 

 known to be partly active. Cape Gloucester, the extreme 

 west point of JSTew Britain, is a complete nest of volcanoes, 

 which were found by Mr. Wilfrid Powell to be in a state 

 of violent eruption in 1877 ; a hundred or more craters, 

 large and small, vomiting fire and smoke and fine ashes, 

 the light produced by the eruption at night being 

 sufficient to enable a book to be read. Tupinier Island 

 was at the same time in eruption. From the western end 

 of New Britain extends a series of islands for a distance 

 of about 400 miles along the coast of the mainland, and 

 these also are volcanic. On the 13th March, 1888, 

 Volcano Island was almost engulfed by the sea, producing 

 a tidal wave which caused great damage, and killed the 

 two German explorers Herr von Below and Herr 

 Hunstein, who were at the time on an expedition to the 

 west coast of New Britain. 



Although the natural history of the New Britain 

 group shows a close affinity to that of New Guinea, no 



